Restaurants

Open-hearth cooking is huge right now, but few are doing it as well as Michael Paley

The story of how this unassuming, 39-seat restaurant in Los Angeles became the restaurant of the year is, to put it in sports terms, like that of a minor league baseball player who goes from batting .200 one year to hitting a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth with two outs to win the World Series the next

Things really get interesting on the wide-ranging four-course prix fixe, with offbeat dishes like congee and leg of Colorado lamb

The old-school fish house has been reborn in this outsize seafood emporium, outfitted in sleek white tile and floor-to-ceiling windows

If you think D.C.’s dining scene begins and ends with men in suits power-lunching, this double-identity ramenya-izakaya will show you what’s what

At this latest venture from Michael Schwartz (of the famous Michael’s Genuine), throwback French dishes—frog’s legs, onion soup, côte de boeuf for two—feel new again

These adjacent sibling Mediterranean restaurants—the former with a tasting menu, the latter set next door in a 1930s Standard Oil filling station—have carved out an inviting corner in a once-rough patch of St. Louis

The folks behind Torrisi Italian Specialties do the Italian-American red sauce joint right. How they do it: quality ingredients that make classics like a pork chop with peppers feel new again

In a state where lobster is king, Eventide’s dedication to the mighty oyster is a bold move. The menu lists around 20 different varieties displayed in a massive trough of Maine granite on the bar

Named for a kid's sailing dinghy, The Optimist is the creation of Atlanta chef and managing partner Ford Fry, who clearly knows how to navigate a winner: It is without a doubt the best of a growing number of big-name fish houses that have opened this year

Macau, the former Portuguese colony of China, is better known for its casinos than for its food. And yet this unlikely region serves as the inspiration for Abraham Conlon and Adrienne Lo, who formerly ran the cult-hit supper club X-Marx

Menus change with the season, but watch for sunchokes with freekeh, braised mustard seeds, and lovage, as well as pastry chef Bobby Schaffer’s desserts and chocolates

The loft-like Cambridge dining room mixes classic Tolix chairs and rope-wrapped chandeliers, but don’t let the light-hearted decor confuse you--there's high-level French-inspired food coming out of chef Matthew Gaudet's kitchen

Now that he’s finished nailing Italian and New American, maybe we should have known that Andrew Carmellini would show New York what he could do with rustic French bistro food

While the food scenes in Austin and Houston continue to gather buzz, chefs like Matt McCallister are out to make sure Dallas gets cred right alongside them

In a dining culture consumed with chef worship, this little Madison spot goes in the opposite direction: The team behind Forequarter cooks as a “collective,” drawing inspiration from their local produce and their love of cured meats

Fine dining is alive in Austin, where 31-year-old empire-builder Larry McGuire has reinvigorated local institution Jeffrey’s and its sister spot, Josephine House

Angelenos are reaping the benefits of chef David Myers’s obsession with Japan. The modern dining room at this stylish Century City spot has sleek, dark wood finishes and moody lighting to spare

A real, New York–style Jewish deli in Atlanta? Believe it. The classics are all here: matzo-ball soup, piled-high pastrami sandwiches, lox-and-bagel

Rachel Yang’s been doing the Korean-American mashup thing since long before it became a national trend

The young, noisy crowd packing this warehouse space comes here for two reasons: hometown love for chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman, and a casual menu that draws as much from Italy as from the American South

Chef Richard Kuo refreshes the wine-bar formula at this lively, stylish spot

It seems simple enough: “Put stuff on toast.” But at this downtown Philly establishment, it’s an art form, whether that “stuff” is super-fresh Maryland crab and sliced jalapeño or beef tartare with fresh horseradish

Nashville’s newest star has nothing to do with country music. This rowdy neighborhood joint in an old foundry is the work of chef Philip Krajeck

Austin is a city of big flavors, and thanks to this stunningly designed newcomer, Thai is now foremost among them

The Whale Wins & Joule may not be related, but they do share much in common